


Triptych

by me_midget (gin_tonic)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Jealousy, M/M, Mpreg, Multi, Suspected Infidelity, Threesome, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-01
Updated: 2015-06-01
Packaged: 2018-08-22 01:25:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8267611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gin_tonic/pseuds/me_midget
Summary: Severus didn't know why he agreed to participate in the Beltane festivities. To find that spark between him and Draco, possibly. He hadn't counted on meeting Potter there, nor had he expected that a night in the woods might have these consequences...





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Emansil_12](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Emansil_12).



> Betaed by: twistedm (Thanks a bunch!!!)

Severus was nervous. Not about attending a Beltane celebration, even though he hadn't been to one in ages. Not, it was the fact that he was attending the festivities with his younger lover that made his palms so sweaty. It had been Draco's idea of course. He had said he wanted to feel that spark of pure lust. Severus hadn't really noticed that there had been any lust lacking in their relationship and it hurt a bit to hear Draco say something like that. But if he was honest, there might have been something more urgent about their lovemaking back when they started out all those years ago. When Draco's parents hadn't know about them, when they had been _trysts_ instead of a dinner dates. Severus couldn't find anything bad about the latter. He liked routine and orderliness, but if attending a Beltane celebration was all that Draco requested, he could hardly say no.

"Ready?" asked Draco and held out his hand. He looked immaculate: hair slicked back and robe completely smooth. Severus wondered if Draco was wearing anything underneath of it and felt himself grow hard at the thought alone. How was that for lust and passion?

Severus cleared his throat. His own desire would have to wait for a little bit longer. "Ready," he said and took Draco's hand. Draco Apparated them smoothly unto the large grounds laid out for this year's festivities. Severus looked around curiously; Beltane hadn't changed since he had attended the festival the last time. A bonfire had been built, music was in the air and there were torches flickering all over the clearing. He could see the first couples slip away into the forest. Tonight's magic would protect them there and they would be free in their love making. Maybe Draco's idea to come here wasn't so bad, after all.

They strolled around for a while and drank some sweet wine, while looking at the fire dancers and swaying to the music,. Severus admired how the fire reflected in Draco's glossy hair, and he ran his fingers through it. But the spark that Draco had expected them to be feeling didn't make an appearance. At least it didn't for Severus. After a while Draco pressed a kiss to his wrist and turned to face him. "We might need a different kind of incentive," he said and pulled out two little flasks from his coat.

"What is that?" Severus asked, an eyebrow raised suspiciously.

"It's called 'The Green Man's Dew'. I found the recipe in an old book on the Beltane rite. It is supposed to help us… well… get us into the mood and give ourselves over to Beltane." When Severus didn't move, Draco added, "Trust me. I brewed this myself." Only then did Severus take one of the flasks. While Draco didn't brew in his shop anymore and rather had taken over doing the books for Severus' as well as other business, he still was a superb brewer. Severus could detect lavender honey in the potion, alongside a tiny hint of ginger and what could only be some finely sliced primrose leaves. There was something else as well, something –

"Come," Draco said and pulled Severus away towards the treeline. "I know where to go." They moved between the bushes and trees, further into the woods, until they came to a clearing. Severus blinked – they weren't alone. But before he could say something, Draco had pulled his head down and kissed him. Severus lost himself in the kiss – it felt more intimate than their love making had been in months. He put his arms around Draco and pulled him close, almost forgetting about that other man leaning against the trees nearby. Until a hand – a stranger's hand – touched him. Severus eyes flew open immediately and he was ready to push away the intruder, when he saw just who was now standing so close.

Potter.

Severus swallowed thickly.

What happened next seemed hazy, almost trance-like to Severus. Maybe he should have been worried at how easily this felt, how fuzzy. But he couldn't think, could only see and feel and touch. Draco smiled his Cheshire cat grin and pulled Potter close, kissed him. Potter ran his hand through Draco's hair, while the other found Severus' hip. They were so close, almost tangled up in each other, and sank down on the ground.

Warmth registered in the back of Severus' mind. It shouldn't feel so warm, something in him said, and something else recognised the magic at work in this forest. Draco peeled Potter's clothes off – robe and shirt and trousers – and for a moment Severus had to stare and admire what he saw. Potter's stomach was flat, his a chest and delta muscles toned, his skin glowing healthily. He looked like he was still actively playing Quidditch – and not like someone who had retired from the game to make brooms.

When Potter pulled in Draco for a kiss, something long forgotten flared up in Severus' chest and he leaned in to take Potter's hard cock into his hand. He could hear Potter gasp into the kiss and he immediately bent down and took Potter's dick into his mouth. Gave him something to really gasp and moan about.

It didn't take long for Potter to start trembling, but before he could come, Draco pulled Severus off and kissed him instead. They could both taste Potter on their tongues – salty and sweet.

"Please," Potter moaned.

Draco looked at him, eyes half closed, leering. "You want us to fuck you?"

"Yes!"

"Want us to fuck you hard?"

"Fuck yes, please!"

Draco told Potter to get on all fours, then knelt down in front of him.

"Suck his dick," Severus told Potter before took the small bottle of lubricant from Draco. He coated his fingers thoroughly before breaching Potter's hole first with one, then with two. And when Potter pushed back against him for more, Severus was only too happy to oblige. "Fuck, your hole is tight," Severus moaned. Soon enough Potter was ready. Severus and Draco switched places, but Severus waited for Draco to push into Potter before he moved. He watched Potter's face, soaked up that delicious expression in his face, caught between bliss and pain and the need to get _more_. Only when Draco slowly started fucking Potter, Severus shed his robe and let Potter suck his own dick.

Potter moaned around Severus' cock with every single one of Draco's pushes. "Don't come before I tell you to," Severus ordered him and smirked at that look of shock on Potter's face. Potter let go of his cock briefly and gasped "Yes. Fuck!"

Draco increased his speed and Severus knew he wouldn't take much longer now. He pulled his cock out of Potter’s mouth, transfixed for a moment by the saliva connecting Potter’s tongue and the tip of his dick, and moved behind Draco. He pressed his erection against Draco's naked arse, stroked his chest, flicked his nipples. And when Severus bit Draco's neck, Draco groaned and came. 

Potter's arse was wet with Draco's semen when he pushed in and Potter was still tight around him. Fuck yes. Severus knew it wouldn't take long, not like this, but he would make Potter beg first. He fucked him hard, pounding his arse and pushing him further down towards the around. The noise Potter made… "Fuck!"

"Please, I – Please, just –" Potter was almost incoherent.

Severus saw Draco reach down beneath Potter and he nodded his approval and sped up. "Now," he said, and Potter keened and spasmed around him and Severus followed only a few seconds later, shouting as he came.

******

Severus woke up in their bed at home, not knowing how they had actually gotten back from the festivities. He remembered falling into a sweaty, tangled heap on that clearing, but after that, things became muzzy, muddled. It took another hour, a slice of toast and a lot of tea until he finally felt somewhat coherent. And then the thoughts started coming in: How did it come to this? How come they had stumbled across Potter, of all people? He knew the answer to the first question; the potion they had taken had obviously stripped away their inhibitions. But it was the second question that he couldn't shake. And so he was silent and preoccupied when Draco finally joined him at the breakfast table.

"You knew he was there," Severus said, eventually.

Draco slowly placed his tea-cup back on the saucer and looked at him. "Excuse me?"

"You knew exactly where we could find Potter. You pulled us right to where he was standing."

"That was a coincidence. How could I know that he'd take the evening off from that broom shop of his? Or maybe it was just lucky – the potion did contain vermouth and mint, just like Felix Felicis does."

Snape laughed dryly. "You know as well as I do that a potion needs distinctively more than two ingredients found in Felix Felicis to induce luck."

Draco took a sip. "What do you want me to say?"

"I want you to admit that it was anything but a coincidence that we stumbled across Potter."

Draco didn't move an inch. He didn't even blink.

"I want you to admit that you planned this with Potter. It's not far from your office to his shop." When Draco still didn't reply, Severus got up and gathered his coat. "Very well. I have some brewing to do. Don't wait up." He didn't return until late at night. And when he did, Severus went to sleep in the den.

******

Matters didn't improve over the next weeks either. Draco would not admit that he had planned this whole farce, even though it was more than obvious that he had. Why else would Potter have been leaning so casually against the tree? Why would he have been alone? No, he must have been waiting for them and he must have been in on Draco's plan. Severus wondered if Potter and his Draco had planned this together or if it had been Draco's plan alone. He couldn't help pondering how long Draco must have planned this. Had he talked to Potter often before he had invited him to join them on Beltane? Severus could practically picture them, meeting over lunch breaks or cosying up in the evenings, when Draco had known that Severus would be working late to finish up an order. Had they stopped at talking?

Severus couldn't stop picturing Draco and Potter together. And as appealing as the image was, Severus couldn't see himself in the picture. Soon enough, Severus was sure that Draco would be leaving him to be with his childhood nemesis. Later he wished he hadn't turned to whisky when Draco had worked until late at night, but then it was too late to take back what he said when Draco had finally returned home.

"What was it that made you chose him? What urged you to go and find satisfaction in the arms of another?"

Draco sighed. "Severus, can we not do that now? I'm tired as fuck and I'm not in the mood."

But Severus didn't want to listen. "Is it that I'm not enough for you? Or is it that fascination you've with Potter that led you to him?"

"Fuck you." Draco turned around on his heels. "I'll stay at Pansy's for the night." Mere seconds after, Severus heard Draco Disapparate and poured himself another drink. When Draco returned two days later, Severus didn't apologise for his behaviour. He needed answers, needed to know if the meeting in the woods on Beltane had been happenstance or if Draco had planned it. He wanted his suspicions to be untrue and for Draco to tell him that it all really had been a coincidence. At the same time, he couldn't believe that it was.

"I didn't order Potter there," was all that Draco said. It still didn't answer Severus' questions, didn't put an end to his suspicions. So when Draco suggested they should take a break, Severus didn't stop him from moving out.

******

Potter came calling three months after Beltane. July had turned into August, bringing strange dry heat and sweaty foreheads. Potter was covered by a sheen and was breathing heavily, but Severus suspected that might be due to him feeling uncomfortable, too. Then again, he had done nothing to make Potter feel welcome since he had stepped into the house. Potter had insisted that he called Draco and had him come in. It didn't appear like Potter was aware that Severus and Draco were currently not living in the same house, which was somewhat comforting to Severus. At least Potter and Draco weren't talking anymore.

The tea was ready when Draco finally arrived – for the time being, he still lived above his office. Severus hadn't planned on offering any tea, but as soon as Draco saw the pot, he poured three cups.

"Apologies for the delay," Draco said. "But the flat above my office is absolutely unfit for save Disapparating and the fireplace is still unconnected to the Floo network. Might keep it that way, too."  
Severus pretended not to notice the sideways glance at him and concentrated on Potter instead. The confused look on Potter's face was a little too much to bear. It was almost as bad as the expression Potter had worn during class whenever he hadn't understood a thing Severus had said. Severus sighed and said, by means of an explanation, "We are currently not sharing the same accommodation."

He could see clearly that Draco was rolling his eyes. "What Severus means to say is that we're taking a break."

Severus curled his lip at the expression. It sounded so common. But he knew better than to say so out loud. He didn't want to add to the tense situation by having Draco launch into one of his arguments. He turned to Potter instead. "You said you wanted to speak to us both. And that it was a matter of urgency. We're both here, now speak."

Potter blushed and started to stammer. "Ah, um, yes. Well. It's not a matter of urgency, per se, but I need to do this now or I'll just chicken out again."

Severus didn't even bother to stop his foot from tapping the floor impatiently. Maybe he was even doing it on purpose.

"I need to tell you something. Fuck, this is weird," Potter mumbled. Severus suppressed the urge to kick the man.

"Well, it's just that… you remember Beltane? And what we did?"

How could he forget? Beltane and them fucking Potter was precisely the reason why Draco's side of the bed always felt cold now. "Yes."

"Well, I have no clue how this happened. Maybe some magic during the festivities? I know it's not completely uncommon, but I was sure there were rituals involved. Potions. Possibly some kind of chanting."

A sinking feeling spread quickly through Severus' stomach. "Spit it out."

Potter laughed – it sounded fake. "Funny, 'cause I've been doing that a lot lately. Spitting it out." Potter took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."

Blood rushed to Severus' head, loud and pulsing and deafening. He blinked. Potter was still sitting at the kitchen-table, babbling. Severus blinked again. Yes, still there.

"… And since you both… you know… since you both fucked me, I have no clue which of you might be the father. Or can it be both?"

Severus got up and walked to the other side of the kitchen. He couldn't think straight. He had entertained the idea of becoming a father – briefly, in his youth – and had quickly discarded it again. And now this? With Potter? With Draco?

"I should have known," Severus groaned and kept on pacing through the room. He didn't notice the worried looks Potter shot him. "I should have known not to take the potion when you said you found it in an old book on the Beltane rite. The _rite_. I should have suspected there was more to the potion than just opening us up to the experience. Beltane is the festival of fertility. Merlin, it is so obvious, in hindsight."

Draco cleared his throat. "You think this potion was a fertility potion."

Severus stopped and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Well, if you produce that book of yours I'm sure we will have confirmation."

Before Draco had the chance to respond Potter got up and smoothed his hands down his robe. As the fabric stretched, a bulge was clearly visible. Potter's baby bump. Fuck. "I should be going now. You clearly have things to discuss."

"Yes, we do," Draco said absentmindedly. He didn't see the way Potter looked at him – at them – but Severus did. And yet he couldn't move and make him stop. Potter nodded and went to the fireplace.

"You know where to find me," he said, grabbed a hand-full of Floo powder and was gone.

******

For several nights, Severus found himself unable to sleep. While he went through the motions during the day, busying himself with brewing potions and taking care of business, nothing held the thoughts at bay during the nights. Again and again he replayed the events of the night Potter told them he was pregnant. The night he and Draco had fought. Intellectually, he knew Draco hadn't planned or wanted this, but that made the thought that Potter’s baby could be Draco's no easier. Nor did it take any of the things back that Severus had said that night, or heal the wounds Draco's words had caused. If Draco wanted out of their relationship to start a new one with Potter, now would be the time. Rush to Potter’s side. Potter would no doubt be grateful from the way he had looked.

Perhaps it was easier for Severus to have things go this way. Maybe it would hurt less if Draco left him to be with the man he had impregnated. That way, Draco wouldn't be leaving because of him, but because of a perceived duty.

But he didn't want Draco to leave. Nor could he stand being around him right now – his presence reminded Severus too much of what had happened and what he stood to lose. He had to do something. Severus Snape would not just lie back and wait for the hammer to drop. Fuck that.

******

Potter almost dropped the book he was holding when he spotted Severus. Severus breathed a little easier at that – the moment of surprise gave him the upper hand this time. He kept it that way by inviting Potter out for a cup of tea. Almost three weeks had passed since Potter's little announcement and Severus' head still felt fuzzy. He busied himself with work and with ignoring what problems Draco and he faced. Until the evenings, that way, when the empty house invited thoughts about Draco – and Potter.

Once seated – Potter with his slightly swollen belly and Severus with the barely suppressed urge to fidget nervously – Severus ordered tea for the two of them and got right to it. "I'm sure Draco has already come to see you, but I wanted to talk to you myself."

Of course Potter had to go and ruin Severus' perceived superiority and shake his head. "No, he hasn't. Last time I saw him was when I told you both."

"Oh." That was all Severus could say. He had thought Draco would rush to Potter's side. A child on the way was a reasonable explanation why he should start a relationship with Potter. Had he misjudged the situation that much? But if he had, why had Draco never said so?

"I take it you haven't seen him, then?"

"No." Severus ignored the feeling of shame. How he felt about his relationship with Draco didn't matter here. And if he kept telling himself that, he would maybe believe it, too.

Potter gave him a long look. "You said you wanted to talk. I imagine you have questions. Plus, you look like I might not like what you have to say, but I'm used to that, so I suggest you just get out with it."

At that moment, their tea arrived. Severus waited until their waiter had left again. "Are you sure it's from one of us?"

Harry snorted and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Are you asking me if I fucked other men?"

"…Yes."

"Well, I didn't. It's either yours or Draco’s. Or do you think I would have come to you if I wasn't sure of that? To be completely honest, I wasn't sure if I should even tell you. But I thought especially you would want to know, so I came."

"Why did you think I would want to know?" Severus asked and pushed the teaspoon around on the table until it lay parallel to the cup. "I'm not exactly known for my love of children."

"No, you're not." Potter gave a weird half-smile that went straight to Severus' gut, even though he couldn't really tell what the expression made him feel. "But I know what your family life was like. More or less as fucked up as mine. And I would want to know if there was a chance I had a child. I figured you would like to know, too. And that you would come to like the child, because it was yours."

"Or Draco's."

"Does it matter?" Potter asked and looked up at Severus.

What was he supposed to say to that? That he didn't want to raise a child that might be Draco's? The thought made him dizzy. He'd said goodbye to the idea of having a child long ago. Not because he didn't like children, but because he had just never seen himself as a father. And no matter how much he loved Draco, they had just never discussed the idea. But there it was; both the idea and the child.

"No," he said finally, his voice dry. He loved Draco. And he knew he would love the child, even if it wasn't biologically his.

Potter nodded.

******

He had forgotten that he loved Draco, Severus realised in the evening after he returned from his talk with Potter. Despite what had happened, despite Draco's faults and flaws, he loved that infuriating man. He just had forgotten that he did. That he certainly wasn't a better man without Draco by his side.

Maybe Draco had forgotten that he loved Severus, too. Maybe that had been Severus’ fault. He was not an easy man to live with and apologies didn't stumble easily from his lips. Had he been wrong not to try and salvage their broken relationship? Had he chosen the easy path by letting Draco go? But how could he forgive something he couldn't really define? He still didn't know if a decision made by Draco had led them down this road.

He would find out, he vowed to himself that night over three glasses of brandy.

******

In the end, it was nothing that he did that forced him and Draco to talk to each other again. Potter sent them both pictures from what he called an ultrasound. The accompanying letter said that Granger had snuck him into her parent's practice, where they had checked in on the baby. Potter wrote that the machine had been smaller than what was usually used for this kind of thing, since it had been designed to check on people’s teeth, but it had done the job just fine. The picture Severus finally held in his trembling hands didn't move, but Severus remembered enough of the Muggle world to grasp what he saw. He stared at the picture long and hard while sitting at the kitchen table, not moving even though his afternoon tea turned cold.

Draco Apparated right into the middle of the kitchen and moved to hug Severus right away. And Severus let him, welcome to sink into Draco's arms and breathe in the strong, clean scent of the man he'd spent so many years with.

"That is our child," Draco said eventually, his head pressed against Severus' neck. Severus found that expression fitting. 'Our child.' He couldn't think of the child as Potter's or Draco's or even just his. It was theirs. The realisation made him feel warm inside his chest.

After a few moments, though, Severus pushed Draco away from him. "I need to know, Draco," he said.

"Fuck." Draco moved over to the kitchen cabinets and started opening and closing doors. Severus had almost forgotten how much Draco liked to curse.

"Draco."

"Fuck." Draco closed a door a little too hard, but turned around nevertheless. "Why do you always need to know everything?" he asked, but didn't wait for Severus to reply. "I had this idea in my head. Of us with him. I don't know… it started out as a dream. You know those kind of dreams; they leave you flushed and breathless and hard. And sometimes ashamed."

"All this because of a dream. And that's not something you were ready to share?" Severus couldn’t keep the bile from his voice. But Draco waved him silent.

"I kept on having daydreams. And then I met Potter, by chance. We chatted and it was surprisingly amicable and then he mentioned going to Beltane."

"You knew where he would be that night," Severus concluded, feeling like the wind had been knocked from his sails.

"Yes. I knew. And because I couldn't get the image of the three of us out of my head…" Draco shook his head and sent his blonde hair flying. "Actually, I have to admit because I wanted to know what it would be like to fuck him. Even more than fulfilling that dream of the three of us, I wanted to fuck him. I have wanted to do that ever since school and now…"

There it was, the reason why Draco didn't tell him. But maybe it was because so much time had passed since Beltane and so much had happened, that Severus couldn't find enough anger himself. He wouldn't forget about that, this much he knew. And he maybe he wouldn't be able to forgive Draco completely. But to give forgiveness, he had to be angry first.

"You are a stupid arse, you know that?"

Draco snorted. "Yes, I kind of know."

"That's not a question of 'kind of'. You have risked our relationship because you couldn't get Potter out of your head. And it wasn't even because you were bored or because you were in love, but because you found yourself in lust for the man. And to top that, you have us a fertility potion and made us impregnate Potter!" Okay, there possibly was more anger than he had admitted to himself.

Draco hung his head. "I know. I'll be leaving now."

"Oh, stop that farce." Severus rolled his eyes. "You should know better than to try using a nice little guilt-trip on me."

"Very well." Draco stepped up to the table where Severus was sitting. "If you know about that, then you probably know that I never intended this to happen." Snape nodded. "And that I will look for a way to make it up to you." Draco sank down on his knees. "Shall I just begin here or do you want to give me pointers?"

"You know your way around from where you are," said Severus smirking and spread his legs.

******

Draco moved back in the next day and while they were still tiptoeing around each other – at least as far as Severus was able to tiptoe – but life finally returned back to normal. Which left only one issue unsolved: They invited Potter over to talk. The pregnancy had not started out well, Severus was the first to admit that, and it surely hadn't been planned. But this was their child, no matter what, and so they needed to find a way to include it – and Potter - in their lives.

Draco had prepared sandwiches for tea – obsessively straight cut, perfectly aligned, tiny sandwiches. Potter quickly devoured four of them and then leaned back expectantly. His belly, already round like a melon, stuck out in front of him. The sight was strangely beautiful, yet Severus couldn't help but remember what Potter had looked like on the grass at the night of Beltane.

Draco fiddled with his hair, pulling on a pale blond strand, twisting it and tugging it behind his ear. The strand fell out again. Repeat. Severus saw Potter watching the display like a hawk. Or maybe more like a mouse who knew that he hawk was circling and had something planned. But Potter wouldn't be Potter if he just sat there, waiting. "So. You wanted to talk?"

Severus swallowed thickly and momentarily forgot to use his mouth for speaking. Only once had he been at a loss for words like this – when he had asked Draco to move in with him. Thankfully, Draco took over: "We have been thinking. About you and us and the baby. And we would really like to help you with the pregnancy and the baby, of course. We'd like to be there for the baby and would like to get to know it. And because of that we would like to ask you to move in with us."

Potter stared at Draco for what seemed an extraordinary long time. "What?" Potter got up, struggling a bit, and glared down at both Draco and Severus. "Abso-fucking-lutely not!"

Severus frowned and opened his mouth to protest the finality of Potter’s outburst, but Potter cut him off before he could say anything. "No. You don't get to tell me I'm crazy or that I really should think about it! None of you asked how I was doing. Not once, do you realise that?" Potter asked, breathing heavily. He looked frightening with that big belly of his and his wild eyes. "And now you are honestly asking me to move in with you? To share a life with you? You know nothing about me!"

Severus crossed his arms in front of his chest and raised an eyebrow. He couldn't stop himself – the reaction came natural to him. But before he could say anything, Potter rounded in on him. "Don't you even start. Don't even give me that sarcastic look of yours. You have no right to judge me. And just because you knew me as a child, doesn't mean you know me now. Just because you two fucked me once, doesn't mean you have any kind of ownership of me."

It should have looked comical to see Potter waddle over to the Floo, but Severus could find no humour in it. The sight just made his heart hurt. "You two can just fuck off!"

Potter and his anger vanished, leaving both of them behind, stunned and staring at what was left of the sandwiches. They would count themselves lucky that Potter apparently had enough control over his magic for it not to flare out during his outburst – something which was not unheard of in pregnancies.

"Well, that escalated quickly," Draco said and brushed a few crumbs off his robe.

Severus nodded. "I admit I did not expect that to happen."

"What do we do now?" Draco sounded forlorn somehow.

And even though Severus’ heart clenched with pain, he said, "We'll finish these sandwiches, have a glass of brandy and we will figure out a plan."

******

Severus wasn't sure how exactly Draco had managed to get both Granger and Ginny Weasley to come have tea with them, but he thought better than to ask questions about that now. Instead, both he and Draco tried to turn their attention to Potter. Or rather, to his friends' knowledge about him. For some reason, they even seemed willing to talk to them.

"How did he find out that he was pregnant?" Draco started the conversion and Granger told them about Potter noticing something was off about a week after Beltane. That Potter couldn't put his finger on it. He didn't go see a healer until four weeks later.

"Did he suffer from morning sickness?" was Draco's next question and Granger nodded.

"It's the reason he went to see a healer," Granger said. "He couldn't stop vomiting and thought he had caught a bug. All of us had. My Rose had a stomach bug just shortly before. Besides, male pregnancies are almost unheard of if they haven't been planned and induced voluntarily."

"It was the potion, then?" Draco asked, even though he knew the answer already. Severus had made him show him the recipe. It had been a fertility potion alright. And if they had taken it on a different night at a different place, it probably wouldn't have had the same effect. But the night of Beltane on those fields held their own kind of magic.

"I don't know about that," Granger said diplomatically. "Fact is, Harry had to get his head around the fact that he was pregnant first. And second, that the child's other father was one of you." 

They continued their round of questioning, ranging from Potter's well-being to his plans regarding his profession. Granger and Weasley didn't answer all of them. Ever since they had been rebuffed by Potter, there was another question that plagued both Draco and Severus, even if they weren't ready to admit why that was. "Is he currently seeing anyone?"

At that, Weasley snorted and asked them if they were insane. "Harry doesn't really date, you see? Not before you two got him pregnant and certainly not now. We have tried setting him up with someone before, but – first of all – Harry has a very specific type. And second of all – and I shouldn't be telling you this, but it's for his own good that I will – his self-worth is extremely low. The pregnancy and all the issues surrounding this don't make the situation any better. And then you two come along and invite him to live with you. And the offer seems nice at first, but then come the doubts. Are you really interested in him or is this about the baby? Or even worse, are you just doing this because you feel guilty?"

Severus breathed in deeply, tried to get a word in, but Weasley steam-rolled him. "You have to look at it this way: You, a couple of several years, have fun with him during Beltane. You fight, you split up, and you go talk to him. Any yet it's not about him – every conversation is about you two or the baby. And if you think that is utter bollocks, go ahead and prove me wrong. Show you interest in him. Tell me what kind of things he likes to do. And don't say Quidditch because you know he played. Tell us something he really likes."

Neither Draco nor Severus knew what to say. Because it was true – they didn't know a thing about Potter. They knew the superficial stuff. They knew where he worked and where he lived. They knew some of his friends – the ones he had at school. And really, most of what they knew was something they learned when Harry was at Hogwarts. More than ten years had passed since then.

"That's what I thought. And what happened then? You two get back together. He's happy about that, by the way, happy for you. He thinks maybe there might even be a small chance for the three of you to develop a relationship. A friendship. Something. But the first thing you do is to invite him to stay. How could he feel that that's because of him and not because of the baby? You never even got to know the man."

Draco cleared his throat. The way he did it, Severus knew Draco was at a loss for words, just like he was. Weasley and Granger got up, gathered their coats. Before they left, Granger eyed them both and says: "Get your act together. Find out what you want – from each other and from Harry. Then – and only then – you can try contacting him. If you want him for his sake. If it's just about the baby…" She sighed. "I know Harry would want to give you both a chance to get to know him or her. But we ask you to stay away from him for a while. If it's just the child that you want, then he needs time to get over you before he can let you in."

******

Severus and Draco had a long talk about what Granger and Weasley had said. They had been right, of course, in demanding that they should get clear on what exactly it was that they wanted of Potter. It had taken a lot of soul-searching and alcohol for Severus to finally admit that there was something about Potter. Hell, that damnable man had always managed to get Severus’ attention, whether he wanted or not. It shouldn’t surprise him that he now caused Severus to feel so conflicted - and yet he found himself stranded in the middle of all these worries and feelings that he never expected to have. Did he love Potter? Certainly not. Or at least not yet. And how could he, if he was loving Draco? He had heard about relationships between three people, but had never met anyone who was leading a relationship like that successfully. He didn’t like the idea of sharing Draco either. What if inviting Potter into their lives eventually would cause a rift between all three of them? What if Severus ended up alone?

A small voice then piped up inside Severus. What if it did work, it asked. What if they ended up happy together? What if they - Draco, Potter, Severus and the child - became a real family? Wasn’t that better than all the alternatives? Wasn’t it worth the risks?

"I want more," Severus eventually told Draco. The sentence practically burst from his mouth and his heart was beating quickly.

"More as in wanting to build a relationship between the three of us?" Draco asked, although cautiously.

Severus swallowed hard. "I… I need to know first. I need to know what you want from this."  
Draco clearly understood his need to know for sure, because he looked back at Severus, unblinking and calm, and opened the doors to his mind. He let Severus roam and explore and in the end, Severus found what could only be Draco’s hopes and dreams. What stuck out the most to Severus was an image of Draco, Potter and himself, sitting around in the living room. Potter was sitting on the floor playing with a toddler, while Severus was reading in an armchair and Draco was lounging on the sofa with a glass of wine in his hand. And just like that, Severus was sure. He exhaled somewhat shakily and nodded. "Yes." He knew Draco had understood the fear that Severus himself had been unable to name. He was afraid that Draco wanted Potter more than him. Afraid that if he gave in to the need to include Potter in their relationship would, at the same time, mean the end of it. But Draco had managed to strip that fear away.

"What do you do now?" Draco asked. "Granger and Weasley were right – we need to get to know him before we can ask him again to be with us."

"We do what Slytherins do," said Severus and couldn't stop the small smirk from tugging at the corners of his mouth. "We call upon a special set of skills."

******

In the end, calling upon a special set of skills had meant one thing: Spying on Potter. They followed him from the broom shop to a café, where he bought éclairs. Started waiting in the shadows for him after work to find out what he stopped by a Muggle record shop regularly – wearing a sophisticated Glamour that disguised his round, pregnant belly. They learned his routines down to a T until they were sure to know what Potter liked: Pastries, music, and pizza deliveries, for one.

After that they moved on to step number two of their plan to woo Potter. At first it was Draco who seemingly accidentally popped up at the café just in time to run into Potter. He later told Severus how he'd done his best to appear surprised and how he'd bought two éclairs – one for an obviously flustered Potter, of course.

Next up was Severus, who was sitting on a park bench two days later, engrossed in a book, when Potter walked by on his way to the record shop. He forced himself not to look up when he noticed that Potter was coming. And his strategy paid off when Harry tapped him on the shoulder and asked what he was doing in the park.

Severus shrugged. "I needed to get out of the lab for a while," he said. "And since this park is the closest to Draco's office, I thought it might be nice to enjoy the nice weather and read for a while."

"I never took you for the outdoorsy type." Harry, breathing a bit heavy, sat down next to Severus on the park bench and stretched out his legs.

"Are you quite alright there, Potter?"

Potter gave him a look. "The least you could do after fucking and impregnating me is call me Harry. Draco, too."

Severus blushed. Potter – Harry – clearly had a point. "You are right, of course. Harry."

Harry huffed. "Better. And yes, I'm alright. I just get winded quickly these days. The strain on my body isn’t really that easy to handle. My feet also hurt like a bitch."

Severus just caught himself before he offered Harry a foot massage. That could have been misunderstood and he had to be careful. "Is there anything I can do?"

"You can let me sit a bit and entertain me for a while," Harry said. "By the way, I met Draco the other day. Seems like he has a well-developed sweet tooth."

Severus smiled at that. "He does. He can be surprisingly passionate about chocolate and liquorice."

Harry laughed brightly at that. "You know what that reminds me of? The care packages that his mother sent him while he was at school. They were always filled to the brim with sweets!"

"Oh yes, I remember those. I have asked Narcissa several times to stop sending these over – for years now. Draco eats everything and then complains about how he will soon become fat. He has no self-control when presented with sweets."

"You mean his mother still sends them?"

"Yes. Constantly." Severus shook his head. So far, Narcissa had been adamant that her little Draco needed those sweets direly. She never elaborated as to why. The continued chatting for a while until Harry had caught his breath. Severus asked if he should accompany Harry to wherever he would be going, but Harry waved him off.

"I'll see you around!" Harry said, still waving. Severus thought to himself that he definitely would – and next time, he'd get Harry as far as allow him to walk him to the store.

******

They kept on accidentally crossing Harry's life as soon as possible without arousing suspicions. Sometimes they would appear alone, sometimes they would meet Harry together. All in hopes for him to feel that they were interested in him as a person. But even they had to admit that accidentally stumbling across Harry for the third weekend in a row – this time at a small bookstore – was a tad bit too much. Unfortunately, they came to that realisation a little too late.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Harry barked at them, when he spotted them in the section on parenting. Draco almost dropped the book on parenting techniques with unruly children, but Severus didn't even flinch. All those years living a double life had paid off.

"We were mere perusing the shelves to find some educational books," Severus said and held up the book he was holding. 'What new dads should expect'.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Oh really. Why here, of all places. Why not Flourish and Blott's?"

"We had heard they have the best selection of books on the topic."

"That's utter horse-cock. Even the owners admit they aren't well stocked regarding parenting books. It just so happens they carry the book that I was looking for," Harry held up 'The Birthing Process: Breathing Techniques and How to Cast the Right Painkilling Spells'.

Draco, surprisingly enough, was the first to regain his feet after their blunder. "Okay, you got us. We were not looking for books. We had ours delivered by owl, in fact. What we were doing, however, is finding a way to connect to you. To show you that we care."

Harry moved towards the counter to pay for his book. Since he kept talking, both Draco and Severus figured that it was okay to keep following him. "So you show that to me by stalking me?"

"Well."

"And you want to connect. Couldn't you have written me a letter?"

"Would you have answered?" Severus asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he waited for Harry to finish paying. When Harry turned around and started walking towards the door, Draco stopped him by putting his hand on Harry's arm.

"Come and have tea with us. We'd like to talk."

Harry eyed them carefully. "About what? Are you going to ask me to move in with you?"

"We might. Eventually," Severus said and shot a small smile at Harry. "But for now, why don't we get to know each other a bit more."

Harry hesitated for a bit, but agreed finally.

******

After three weeks of constant attention, Harry finally visited them on his own accord. He simply stopped by in the evening, just when Draco had returned from work, carrying Indian take out. "I thought you might be hungry," he said, blushing furiously, and Severus felt something bloom inside his chest. He wanted to go over there, grab Harry and kiss him until he was breathless. But he didn't and smiled instead and offered Harry a seat.

"Thanks," Harry said and walked past him, brushing against him in a way that couldn't be an accident. Severus looked at Draco, who was smirking.

"How was your day?" Draco launched into the pleasantries easily, while Severus was still trying to decipher what had brought on Harry's change in behaviour.

"Fine," Harry said. "I'm preparing for my leave. My assistants will have to take over the majority of the work for a while."

"Are they up for it?"

Harry shrugged. "I hope so. I mean, I taught them well, but they haven't got the experience that I do. They will take longer to craft a broom than me. But our loyal customers are informed about the situation and are very understanding." Harry looked nervous saying that, twisting his hands and fiddling with the fork in his hand. He almost seemed to itch for human contact and so, before Severus really knew what he was doing, Severus reached over and squeezed his shoulder. Harry leaned into the touch and gave him a smile. And that was when Severus noticed that Harry's behaviour hadn't changed – at least not suddenly. Severus just hadn't realised how tactile Harry had become with them. His fingers would brush theirs when they handed him a cup of tea or he would lean in when they stood next to him. Severus found it felt natural to include him in Draco's and his life. It was like he was an limb they had been missing all this time. He belonged.

Later that night, when Harry had left with a kiss from Draco placed on his cheek, Draco brought Severus a glass of brandy. "Have you finally realised that he likes us, too?"

Severus blinked and swirled the drink around in his glass. "I just… I wasn't really expecting it to happen."

"Didn't you tell me a couple of weeks ago that we Slytherins will get what we want if we put our mind to it?"

"No, I said that we will call upon a special set of skills to get what we want. Not that we would actually get it."

Draco waved his hand around. "Same difference. We're getting to know him and he's getting to know us – and I think all of us are realising that the baby is just an additional bonus to the relationship we're crafting here."

Draco was right, of course. All those months ago, Severus had wanted to salvage his relationship with Draco. Instead, he now had a relationship with both Draco and Harry and a baby on the way. And although it would take work from all three of them and although Severus was sure there would be hurdles and fights along the way, he allowed himself to hope that one day they might be a family. The word in itself was intimidating and yet so … so much what he really wanted.

******

The End


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